More than 200 people from 18 U.S states became sick due to a salmonella outbreak linked to raw chicken products from California.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday, roughly 278 illnesses, mostly in California, were due to strains of Salmonella Heidelberg, the third most common strain of the Salmonella pathogen that results in food borne sickness if the food hosting it is not properly cooked.
"The outbreak is continuing," USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement.
After the laboratory, epidemiology and trace back investigations performed by the local state and federal officials, it was found that the raw chicken products sold by Foster Farms’ plants in California were the culprit. The raw products, which bear one of the following numbers – P6137, P6137A or P7632 – inside a USDA mark of inspection, were mostly distributed to stores in the states of California, Washington, and Oregon.
In a statement, Foster Farms said it was cooperating with the authorities on creating plans of reducing the incidence of Salmonella Heidelberg on raw chicken products.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), together with state health departments, is monitoring the outbreak and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will continue with its investigation, USDA added in the statement.
So far, there were no recalls of the involved product.
"In addition to collaborating with FSIS and CDC, the company has retained national experts in epidemiology and food safety technology to assess current practices and identify opportunities for further improvement," Foster Farms President Ron Foster said in a statement.
Common symptoms of salmonella infection are abdominal cramps, diarrhea, plus fever within eight to 72 hours. Others may also present headache, nausea, vomiting and chills that can go on for one week
FSIS is an agency of the USDA that still operates even despite the government shutdown. Inspections on meat, poultry and processed egg are still carried out.
